how/where to learn hand plane techniques

[Hank Knight]

Robert,
Nothing beats watching somebody who knows what they're doing with a hand plane. It all makes more sense when you see it live. I took a couple of week-long workshops at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport Maine, near Camden. One was taught by Craig Vandal Stevens, the other by Garrett Hack. I picked up more technique from those two guys than I got from years of reading. There are lots of schools around. My advice is to pick one and find a class taught by somebody who knows this stuff. It's fun and you'll learn a lot. Plus, it's a way to escape the Texas heat for a week or so.
Hank

[David Charlesworth]

I have made a DVD specifically on precision planing.  It covers technique for all six surfaces of a component.

It is available from L-N or myself.

Best wishes,

David Charlesworth

[John Dykes]

Yes, buy and memorize the Charlesworth DVDs. Books can't get you there alone..... 

(TLDR)

Over 20 years ago I bought my first Unisaw. I've had several shops' worth of tools in those decades. Also in those same 20 years, I've had a few layoffs and those tools put food on the table (errr - by selling them). I spent the first 5-6 years of my "woodworking" hobby trying to be Norm (who is amazing - and one I highly admire). However, when I had to prepare a board that was 6.25" wide, I had to rip it on my $2,000 Unisaw, joint and flatten it, and glue it back together.... (Back in the days of the "wrec," this was the advice.) Insanity! 

Some folks said to use a plane. Woodworkers use planes? Ok - I must needs have one of these "planes" you speak of. During some year of plenty, I researched what I considered to the the best plane money could buy. Lie-Nielsen. What size? The internet gods responded, "#4." So I plunked down $250 for a LN #4 (this was some years ago)..... 

I took it out of the box (and had never touched one before), twisted some knobs and levers - and destroyed some good lumber. It skipped, chattered, gouged the wood. i produced the most pitiful pile of wood dust you've ever seen. Undaunted, I read some books - did more research and tried again. Still the plane wouldn't work. I came to the conclusion that Lie-Nielsen planes were complete garbage. Total waste of money. Why spend good cash on this crappy plane when I can just buy a "Jointability." (Google THAT one! - they still sell them apparently). 

Point being - LN sucks and no books were gonna help me. I tucked the LN #4 back in its box and stuffed it in a drawer - and there it sat for several years. Years.

I am dumber than most, and a very slow learner. 

I can't recall why I attempted handplanes some years later, but it was with an old Stanley I had found (or was given) - and cleaned up. And that is an important point. Sharpness with power tools is glossed over by horsepower. As a power tool user, I didn't really care about sharpness; blades got old - not necessarily dull (sic). When I bought the LN plane, I expected it to be sharp and work flawlessly - like a Forrest Woodworker 2 blade. I don't have to do or think about anything extra. 

With the old Stanley, I realized (amazingly) that the blade was probably dull - and I probably needed to sharpen it. Kinda went the "scary sharp" route with limited success. The Internet (.rec) and books weren't really able to convey the movements that I needed to sharpen this blade. At that time, only two videos (I think) talked about sharpening - Klausz and Charlesworth. I bought them both. Again, Frank has more skill in his toe that I have in my entire body, but his video moved a bit quick - and wasn't precise enough for me to accurately emulate\replicate. "You just rub the stone, and flip, and rub, and flip, and rub, and flip. See, very fast. Very easy. Rub and flip." (If you've seen it, you know what I mean.)

David Charlesworth's videos are precise enough that a ham-fisted fool like myself can work magic with a handplane. Watch the video on sharpening - then get your stones and jig and pause the video and you go through it again - and mimic each step. Do the same with the hand plane usage video - and I promise you, the magic and mystic of handtools will be open to you. 

Until I bought these videos - I merely operated power tools (no offense - I've never been terribly skilled). After these videos, I finally felt like I had the ability to work wood. It opened doors I didn't know existed. Search the old wrec, this forum, or Sawmill - and you'll see my travails and revelations. I've been where you are.... 

Lastly, I've been a subscriber to Paul Sellers since day 1 when I found him during my last deployment. I admire and emulate his woodworking techniques. To watch him work - and work through projects with him is something I can't put a price on. However, the theory and precision of the Charlesworth videos allows me to understand how and why of the mechanics that Paul uses.... 

Good luck -

[Downwindtracker2]

John, that's great post.

The thing is, handplanes are necessity in the shop. I'm preaching to the choir here. They are a fitting tool as well as a surfacing tool. I just finished shoveling out my bench after working on our travel trailer. It was the easiest way to make the drawers work!

[robert146]

As a member of the "choir" I can add nothing constructive to the discussion. However, I can offer an example: I'm building some plant holders for a daughter's deck. I'm using cedar. They they will actually hold large clay pots and taper upward from bottom to top. I worried myself to death as to how to cut the angle on the bottom because my TS needs some serious work on the tilt mechanism. A LOT of worry! Do I delay the job and fix/repair the TS? Do I build a jig? Etc., etc., etc.

This morning I realized that all I had to do was put the thing together and then hand plane the shallow angle on the bottom for a perfect fit. I had gotten my knickers in a knot worrying about angles, miters, and funny joints using power tools, that I completely forgot that 15 minutes with a hand plane would take care of all my concerns. My Dad wouldn't have given it a second thought; he didn't have any power tools. That's why the #4 Stanley went with him all the time.

I'm an old guy and I hate being stupid. Downwind and John, please kick me.

R.

[MattP]

After that, it's buying some cheap wood - pine is good - and practicing.

This is how I learned. But, imo, an important element in learning this way is to buy excellent tools. Before I ever tried to actually build anything, I bought a handful of LN planes. My theory was simple: If something is going wrong, it is me, not the tool. If you have poor tools or vintage tools, and you're new, you have no way of knowing whether you're screwing up or the tool is junk*. So it's eliminating a variable in troubleshooting, which sped up the learning curve for me. By the end of my first day of practice, I was able to get full length full width shavings with my LN #4. It goes pretty fast.

Paul Sellers has great videos on setting up a plane--just go over to his youtube video and treat everything he says as the gospel for the time being.

_____________

*After 10 years or so of frustration, I just finally concluded that both of my LN spokeshaves shipped defective. I waved a file at their mouths a few weeks ago, and both of them are working like champs now. Nobody's perfect, not even LN.

[FloridaRetiree]

This triggered an old occurrence.

About ten years ago I sold off most of my hand tools via eBay.

One was a Record 07 jointer plane.

It was shipped to California from here in Florida.

No problem.

Then, about six weeks later I got an email from the (lady) buyer thanking me for the sale.
Said it was delivered and left on her porch and remained until she just got back to her house there!

And I babied that plane. Don't know how many hours I spent buffing the sole to a mirrored shine!

Aah well, you never know?

[DFJarvie]

North Bennett St School in Boston offers classes. I took Fundamentals of FWW and it's all handtools. Sharpening chisels and planes, chisel work, using planes and handcut dovetails and mortise and tenon.

The class is 40 hours and offered at least 6-8 times a year either by the week, saturdays or nights. It cost 1300.00 which is a bargain compared to other classes.

I had no idea on how to sharpen or use a plane and now I'm pretty good.